active pickup query (9 volt vs 18 volt)

I have a new Ibanez with IBZ ADX active pickups (5 string). I'm not getting the harmonics I was hoping for when I ordered it. I've heard from EMG users that you can use a 18 volt power supply instead of the usual 9 volt and it will give better results (more headroom) without damaging the bass.

18v will give you more headroom for sure. I am not familiar with the ibanez pickups but the pickups themselves may be a partial reason why your not getting what you want. Headroom refers to how much you can boost a frequency range from the pickup's signal. That being said I don't know if that alone would bring out the harmonics in your tone but if you are picky about your tone, I would recommend upgrading pickups for sure. Someone will come along who could tell you more about getting the harmonics in your tone to pop out.

I have a new Ibanez with IBZ ADX active pickups (5 string). I'm not getting the harmonics I was hoping for when I ordered it. I've heard from EMG users that you can use a 18 volt power supply instead of the usual 9 volt and it will give better results (more headroom) without damaging the bass.

Is this true?

I'd appreciate any input you may have. Thanks & Take Care

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You can run EMG pickups from 27V if you like. I recently asked them and this was confirmed via email. Now one of my EMG equipped basses runs off my (not factory DS5/DS5R) 24V Alembic outboard supply too. From what I recall reading on their site, their pre's etc can also run on up to 27V, so 18V from a pair of series batteries will be fine. However, email EMG and confirm this!, as I've never used their pre's because I build my own.

Changing the pickups/pre will give you a different sound, but whether it's what you want to hear, you won't really know until you try it out. 18V against 9V will give more headroom, but I doubt any significant harmonic distribution change, unless the original pre was badly designed or faulty.